Central MA

NEMBA Presents Ware River Watershed Proposal to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Boston, MA, December 18, 2015: Representatives from the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA) met with the leadership of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) to discuss mountain bike access to the Ware River Watershed in central Massachusetts.

Wachusett NEMBA has formally requested that mountain biking be allowed on certain singletrack trails in the watershed and that the state collaborate with NEMBA and a newly formed Friends of the Ware River Watershed group on an independent analysis of the trail network.

According to Wachusett NEMBA’s Brett Russ, “we are grateful to Secretary Matthew Beaton, Undersecretary Ned Bartlett, Assistant Secretary Daniel Sieger, Director of Legislative Affairs Stolle Singleton as well as Senator Brownsberger, and Senator Anne Gobi’s aide John McNamara for taking the time to hear about the issues facing the citizens surrounding the 25,000-acre watershed. We believe that NEMBA’s proposal for greater access will be a win-win for everyone involved.”

The watershed has 35+ miles of singletrack trails that have been used by all manner of non-motorized recreationists including hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians, hunters, fishermen, snowshoers, and cross-country skiers for decades. Mountain biking on singletrack was prohibited in 1994 under the management of the Metropolitan District Commission but was not enforced until August 2014.

“We believe that by partnering with NEMBA and allowing mountain biking in the watershed, we’ll be able to help steward the property and further protect the water supply”, says NEMBA executive director Philip Keyes.

While only a handful of singletrack trails are shown on the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) - Division of Water Supply Protection’s official maps, most of the singletracks have existed for decades. However, there are some new, unsanctioned trails that were built without permission which are of legitimate concern. However, rather than crack down on the activity of mountain biking, NEMBA proposes that the DCR partner with the organization to evaluate the existing trail system to determine which trails are sustainable and pose no threat to the water quality.

“We think that legitimizing mountain biking in the watershed will allow us to harness the energy of the recreating public to help protect this critical natural resource. Our members can help educate other trail users, report issues such as illegal trail building, dumping, and partying, and work to create a multi-user trails community that can maintain and protect the trails”, says Brett Russ. NEMBA hopes to partner with the newly formed Friends of the Ware River Watershed to build a broad community of trail stewards.

NEMBA is now in the process of providing more information to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and will continue to seek support to review and implement NEMBA’s proposal.

NEMBA will be planning an open meeting to discuss the proposal mid-January, 2016.

Date

11/21/15 (All day)

Chili Ride #7 is scheduled for Saturday, November 21st!

The Chili Ride is a great way to round out the fall: a 2-3 hour mountain bike ride on classic Wendell singletrack at an intermediate pace, followed by a chili-themed potluck at Bill's house across the street from park headquarters.

The rides start at 12:30pm from the Wendell Ranger Station (392 Montague Road, Wendell MA) and will go for about 2-3 hours.
This will be an unmarked ride, and groups can go out as they form (self-guided) or join a local expert for a tour of their favorite trails. All riders are welcome (note that there will not be a designated beginner ride), there will be a hiking group for anyone interested!

This late in the year New England weather can be unpredictable so be sure to layer up, bring snacks and plenty of hydration. We should not be needing lights for this ride but feel free to bring one, just to be on the safe side. As it is hunting season bright colors are strongly encouraged!

Chili Cookoff:
As before, we will be having a chili cook-off this year - bring your favorite chili, side dish, appetizer or dessert for a chance to be crowned the 2015 PV NEMBA Chili Champion!!

The party after the ride will be at Bill Gabriel's house just before the ranger station on the right (334 Wendell Road, Millers Falls); if you're bringing food you can drop it off at his house before the ride between 11:45am and 12:15pm. You can also leave your car in his driveway and bike over to the ranger Station (parking will be limited at the ranger station).

Directions to the Wendell Ranger Station:
From the east or west: Take Rte. 2 to Rte. 63 south through Miller Falls, Wendell Rd. over R.R. bridge, take Montague Rd. and follow signs.
From the north or south: Take Rte 47 North to Route 63 North. Travel approximately 6 miles and follow lead in signs approximately 2 miles to the Park Headquarters. (From RT63: turn right on Highland St (before center of Millers Falls) to intersection with S Prospect St, turn right onto S Prospect St and follow that all the way up -turns into Wendell Rd, bear right)

Directions to Bill Gabriel's house (from Millers Falls):
Follow the signs to Wendell State Forest. Bill's house is on the right just before the Ranger Station, brown house with a red barn sitting back from the road (334 Wendell Road, Millers Falls).

Feel free to contact me with questions for further information, car pooling or just to let me know you're coming. Hope to see you all soon! If you're unsure if the ride is still happening (rain, heat, surprise blizzard etc.) call me the day of the ride - leave a message and your phone number if I don't pick up and I will call you back.

Chapter

Trail

Event Leader

Date

10/24/15 (All day)

Old Furnace has undergone some vast improvements made possible from the funds raised at our 2014 Old Furnace Fun Ride. This year we are looking to raise money to complete the bridge project and improve other sections of the park.

This year's EFTA/NEMBA Fun Ride will have intermediate and advance loop options.

Old Furnace State Park is one of the Quiet Corner's hidden gems. For a small park, this place can pack a punch. Challenging terrain, daunting climbs, daring rollers, cliff edge ridge lines, and more. Bring your legs!

Event Date

Come join MVNEMBA for a Kids’ Ride at the Kona Bicycles MTB Adventure Ride at Great Brook Farm SP on Sunday September 13th. Kids’ Rides are a great way for kids and teens to build strong bodies, build confidence, have tons of fun and enjoy being outside!
The ride begins at 10:15 and will go between 2-3 miles depending on group. For more information about the day including directions, please visit http://www.nemba.org/events/kona-bicycles-mtb-adventure-ride-great-brook....

Ride Level

Ride Types

Ride Style

Ride Leader Name

Date

8/9/15 9:00am to 3:30pm

Join Pioneer Valley NEMBA for their Mountain Bike Adventure Ride at the Charlemont Trails System on August 9th, 2015.

The ride will begin and end at the Warfield House banquet parking lot. Charlemont Trails System, is a relatively new MTB destination set on both sides of the picturesque Deerfield River Valley and straddling Route 2 - less than 20 miles west of Greenfield. Most of the trails are hilly, but we'll do our best to keep the shorter loops with the climbing on open dirt roads and double track. The easiest loop will consist of a long gravel road descent then climb to a beautiful meadow. From the meadow riders will descend a gently flowing single track to a large plateau with a nice network of linked non-technical trails. Following this section, riders will climb a double track back to the meadow then descend and climb back to Warfield House. The Middle Loop will begin as the easiest loop, but after returning to the meadow, riders will ride the upper east side single-track consisting of Game Trail, Sweet 16, and the CTS Signature Enduro segment - Red Zone to Rice Brook. After Rice Brook, riders will climb back to Warfield House. The Long Loop will add the Warfield Zoar Connector, TV Tower, Lost and Happy Days to the mix. For those who need a bigger ride, the Hero Option will break south off the Long Loop at the start of TV Tower and instead loop down to Zoar via West Side, Out of Gas, and finally climbing back up to the Connector on King Philip's. Once back at the TV Tower intersection they'll continue with the Long Loop.

After all riders are through with their rides, but not before 1:00 PM, they are encouraged to present their NEMBA wrist band at Thunder Mountain Bike Park for a 50% off afternoon ticket. That's 4 hours of lift accessed Mountain Bike riding at the hottest destination in the East for $15.00!

Event Leader

North Quabbin Trails Association

Description

The North Quabbin Trails Association is located in the historic hills and river basins of north central Massachusetts We have many miles of newly connected trails and would like to extend a unique and educational opportunity to NEMBA members.

NQTA is a Trail Design & Development, Stewardship and Hiking non-profit organization dedicated to collaboration. It seeks to bring together the entire outdoor trail community for the betterment of the North Quabbin Region.

Our core mission is the creation of the Quabbin to Monadnock Trail (Q&M), a 200+ mile East – West Forest Legacy Loop Trail with 12-15 overnight shelters. The West side is the N.E. Scenic Trail. The East side is a series of preexisting trail systems connected together.

Many miles of trails are available now. NQTA is constantly engaged in creating new trails for outdoor enthusiasts and looks forward to sharing that information with trail users both near and far. Stewardship opportunities and hikes are posted on the website, many of which unveil new trails. The offices of NQTA and monthly gatherings are held at the Millers River Environmental Center in Orange, MA.

NQTA is in the final mapping, gps and gis tracking of the Q + M trail and is working with naturalist guide book author John Burk on a 150 page Q + M trail map and guide which will be completed within a year.

Of interest to NEMBA members is the re-branding of our uniquely beautiful N Quabbin region into 7 geographical zones.

These are the Monadnocks, The Tully Basin, The Millers Basin, The Swift Valley Basin, The Quabbin, The State Forests and Mount Grace / Northfield.

This is the corridor of the Q + M and it’s an amazing connection of water, hills and forests.

NEMBA members are invited to come, enjoy a section and then return to complete other sections at their convenience.

This directly ties into the 'Stay and Play' theme that NQTA has established with its Explore North Quabbin partners. Imagine a 2-3 day adventure were you can stay at some of our lodgings, with great places nearby to eat and shop.

NQTA welcomes NEMBA in for jamborees and will work closely to help with logistics.

In addition NQTA would like to offer NEMBA a unique stewardship and mapping opportunity.

Starting right now we’d like NEMBA members to join with us out in bettering these newly connected trails. As the leading mountain bike and stewardship organization NQTA would like to see NEMBA and its members act as partners. We need your input on trail conditions. Most importantly we’d like your assistance in setting up a grading system to rank the level of difficulty of our trail systems.

NQTA's first full length trail map and guide of Birch Hill / Lake Dennison is in publication and offers many miles of biking opportunities. The map is set up to highlight multi-use and mountain biking is an integral part with biking trails clearly marked.

This map and many others can be ordered on our website NQTA.ORG for $8.00.

Now for the more adventurous bikers is the new 16.3 mile Red Apple Trail System. The grand opening was held May 16th and it’s this intermediate trail system that NQTA would like to collaborate with NEMBA on. So come out and start the evaluation and stewardship process. Or, just go explore. Contact me for more information.

NQTA as a mapping organization has over a dozen new trail maps available as part of our $20.00 / $35.00 family membership.

NQTA at its core is organized as a stewardship and mapping collaboration and we actively seek NEMBA's partnership and experience in helping to create these new trail systems.

Southern New England Trunkline Trail

Easy

75%

Moderate

21%

Difficult

4%

Description

The Southern New England Trunkline Trail is a National Scenic Recreational Trail that runs from Franklin Massachusetts 86 Miles to Willimantic Connecticut. The Massachusetts portion is a linier park managed by the Department of Conservation and Recrretion.

This write-up concerms the Massachusetts portion starting in Franklin and ending near the Connecticut line in the Douglas State Forest.

Few people will ever ride the entire 22 miles. But, many people ride parts of it, using it to connect good riding areas.

The trail itself is straight, very flat but has many whoop-de-dos caused by off road vehicle use. It's very scenic and beloved by area equestrians.

From this point if you continue west you'll hit the Connecticut state line. Of particular interest is the Tri State Marker. A stone monolith that marks the intersection of RI, CT and MA. Ride around it and you'll hit three states in a second or two. Where else can you do that?

Links to Relevant Resources

Date

We're going to clean up some winter debris, trim back some overgrowth and show some love to a few trails at West Hill Dam. If we get enough volunteers, there's even a re-route project we have to work on. We'll have a job for everyone, bring the kids!

What to bring:

Bug spray - ticks will be out in large numbers this year

Sunscreen - nobody likes to get sunburned

Work gloves - help prevent blisters, thorn sticks, etc

Long pants - thorns, bugs, etc

Sturdy footwear - we'll be hiking to/from the work sites and working on uneven terrain